Satire In The Importance Of Being Ernest
Line 447-592
The Importance of Being Earnest was a satirical comedy written by Oscar Wilde with the express intention of highlighting the absurdity and, by modern standards, moral hypocrisy of the English upper classes in the late Victorian era. One of the ways in which this is done is through the characters perceived pragmatic approach to romance. In this essay I shall particularly focus on Lady Bracknell for I feel she is the most exaggerated manifestation of upper class values, and therefore provides the best material for analysis. In this segment the character of Lady Bracknell assesses whether or not Jack is a fit husband for her only daughter employing stringent interrogatory techniques in order to so. For instance upon seeing Mr Worthing propose to her daughter, Lady Bracknell insists that Jack “rise from [his] semi-recumbent posture” …show more content…
When Lady Bracknell tells her daughter upon discovering the proposal “An engagement should come on a young girl as a surprise, pleasant or unpleasant, as the case may be” the audience can instantly perceive the lack of choice young women had over their own private lives, even when of marrying age. The act of marriage, supposedly the joining of lovers, is strategic and methodical for Lady Bracknell thus portraying the upper classes of the era as cold and uncaring. Lady Bracknell refers to the mortality of Jack's parents as a “minor matter” which serves to further prove that all of the priorities that we are accustomed to are turned on their head by Lady Bracknell. Lady Bracknell's common sense is far from common to us, perverse even. Love is perceived by these people to be a technique in which to “form an alliance” and Jack is refused marriage for being a man with no genetic family relations to speak of. Lady Bracknell's notions of “nature” or “natural ignorance” strike us as
The Importance of Being Earnest was a satirical comedy written by Oscar Wilde with the express intention of highlighting the absurdity and, by modern standards, moral hypocrisy of the English upper classes in the late Victorian era. One of the ways in which this is done is through the characters perceived pragmatic approach to romance. In this essay I shall particularly focus on Lady Bracknell for I feel she is the most exaggerated manifestation of upper class values, and therefore provides the best material for analysis. In this segment the character of Lady Bracknell assesses whether or not Jack is a fit husband for her only daughter employing stringent interrogatory techniques in order to so. For instance upon seeing Mr Worthing propose to her daughter, Lady Bracknell insists that Jack “rise from [his] semi-recumbent posture” …show more content…
When Lady Bracknell tells her daughter upon discovering the proposal “An engagement should come on a young girl as a surprise, pleasant or unpleasant, as the case may be” the audience can instantly perceive the lack of choice young women had over their own private lives, even when of marrying age. The act of marriage, supposedly the joining of lovers, is strategic and methodical for Lady Bracknell thus portraying the upper classes of the era as cold and uncaring. Lady Bracknell refers to the mortality of Jack's parents as a “minor matter” which serves to further prove that all of the priorities that we are accustomed to are turned on their head by Lady Bracknell. Lady Bracknell's common sense is far from common to us, perverse even. Love is perceived by these people to be a technique in which to “form an alliance” and Jack is refused marriage for being a man with no genetic family relations to speak of. Lady Bracknell's notions of “nature” or “natural ignorance” strike us as